Peter Corp. Dyrendal

Most Thai’s know who Peter Corp. Dyrendal is. If they don’t remember all his hits, at least they remember that the young half-Thai singer was three years in a row the top name on the “Most Sexy Men in Thailand”-list.
But to the Danes – even the ones living in Thailand – he is still relatively unknow. Which is indeed strange considering that he is the most famous Thai-Danish “look kreung” – or half-Dane half-Thai. This is not a deliberate choice neither Peter nor his manager has taken. The simple reason is, that “there has just been so much happening so fast that this has never been a priority,” as Peter himself puts it.
When asked if he has ever wondered, why none of the Danish brand names in Thailand have ever approached him to build on their mutual image, he admits that it has struck him as strange.
“I was recently in contact with Bang & Olufsen and this could lead to a contract later this year. But they are in fact the first Danish brand name here to get this idea,” says Peter Corp Dyrendal.
With Peter’s name as a stage performer and considering his many music video productions, there is an obvious mutual platform to build on for Bang & Olufsen, which is the Danish flagship brandname within audio visual home electronics. But other brand names could have thought of this years ago. Names like Carlsberg, Arla Foods, Ecco Shoes, Dumex immediately come to mind.
“I think it would be fun. The closest I ever got so far to being involved in profiling Denmark in Thailand was a Scandinavian Jazz evening, which I helped Torben – the Danish commercial counsellor’s husband – arrange last year,” he says.
Peter does not rule out the possibility, that he could participate in a joint evening event with the other half-Scandinavian “look krueng” like the half-Swedish actress Ann Tomprasong or the “almost look kreung” Swedish singer Jonas, who is popular with singing Esan country music style.
“Scandinavian Soiety Siam should start by writing a draft proposal. Then I will take it up with my manager and the record company. I don’t know if they have any problems with me performing together with people from another record company. But it might be worked out among them – I think it could be a great night!”
Throughout the interview, which editor Thomas Raldorf, photographer Jan Mouritsen and I had with Peter Corp. Dyrendal that night outside his restaurant “Jam Jam”, this constantly open and positive attitude was a striking impression. Even when my youngest daughter Monica asked if the photographer could take a private picture of herself together with Peter, there was absolutely no hesitation.
“Sure, Monica! Come over here… do you speak Danish?”
Setting up the meeting with Peter – whose name is pronounce as Pi Døer in Thai – was also refreshingly simple and nothing like trying to arrange interviews with other Thai celebrities.
“Why don’t you just come around to Jam Jam on Friday?” asked his PR Coordinator Khun Tui, when we had explained the purpose of the interview.
“Peter is having another meeting with a TV crew there, but that won’t be long.”
During the evening other friends simply dropped by and basically anybody, who would like to meet Peter, could just do just that: Hang out for a night or two and wait for him to show up for pleasure or work.
Jam Jam was first set up in Sukhumvit Soi 39, which Peter admits was no doubt a better location for business. But when the owner of the building saw how good business was going, they were told to either pay 30 percent of the income or clear out. They decided to clear out and moved the nightclub to Rama 3 instead.
“It’s off the main night club districts and our walk in customers are of course down compared to what we had in Sukhumvit. But the stage here is much better and I like the terrace out here in front of the restaurant,” Peter says.
“And when first people have found it, they have obviously no problem coming back,” he adds.
Although Jam Jam is a far cry from the teeming sexy hots spots of Bangkok, Peter has already tried how it feels to be closed down by the police.
“Maybe we were a bit noisy – there was a private party going on and the place was just packed – and it was four o’clock in the morning, so I guess it was fair enough…,” he laughs.
Maybe the guests had also had one too many of Peter’s famous “Black Vikings” – which to Danes is a drink known as “små grå”. It consists of the Danish candy “tyrkisk peber” dissolved in vodka and although it tastes sweet and nice I can testify to the fact that they are still mainly pure undiluted vodka.
Peter gets the “tyrkisk peber” from his parents who are both frequently in Bangkok. They met when they were both working for Thai Airways International, but today his father is today back with SAS. Peter was born and raised in Ishøj. During vacations he was often in Thailand where he would stay with his aunt in Bangkok. She was the one who pushed him to go for a camera test with a modeling agency during one of these vacations when he was 17 years old.
Back in Ishøj, he had completed 9th grade and had started in college in a special chemistry line which was at the time his interest.
“I still find chemistry quite interesting. Only today, I mostly use my chemistry lessons to mix drinkable fluids!”
The next summer Peter was back in Bangkok and did a few more modeling jobs. The pay was not much, but it was mostly for fun. It was not until the following summer when he was 19 years old, that things suddenly started moving. A Thai advertising agency had offered him the incredible amount of 150,000 baht for doing a TV commercial and it was during a break in a shooting session, that he had picked up a guitar and started “strumming the only four accords I knew how to play”, as he puts it.
“Back in Denmark, I used to listen to a lot of quite different music. Thomas Helmig, Sorte Sol, Michael Learns to Rock. And of course Kim Larsen, Shubidua – it was mostly up to the situation. Some of the songs I could remember most of the lyrics.”
One of the managers of the Thai record company Grammy, P’ Aer, who happened to be present during the shooting of the TV commercial, listened for a while. Then he asked him, why he didn’t try to go for a carreer as a singer.
“Yeah me, a rock star!,” Peter laughed.
But with his characteristic open mind, he nevertheless started taking singing lessons. And five month later he signed his first record contract with Grammy. His first album was a major hit, and from being just another look krueng, Peter litterally woke up one morning to instant fame.
“In the beginning it felt sometimes a bit awkward. Being recognised and stopped by fans in the street and all that. But it is also fun, really,” he adds.
The money is obviously an added value to the fun. Some of it he has spent on a black beauty, a Suzuzki 1300 cubic “Hayabusa” motocycle which he sometimes takes out for a spin hiding under a full black crashhelmet. He also has another motorcycle – a BMW 1100 IR – and a BMW 330i car, but the Suzuki remains his favourite.
Thomas Raldorf mentioned that he once saw him driving driving Go-kart in Pattaya – and that he seemed to enjoyed it a lot!
“Yes, I did enjoy it – or rather I do, because everytime I get a change I go out to drive. Pete – The Thai movie star – once asked me if I wanted to come out and drive with him in his Touring car. I really wanted to try that, but I also know my limits, so I declined and asked if we could do it another time.”
Then Thomas asked him, if he would drive in a charity go-kart race, he was thinking of arranging, with teams of 2 drivers, one Thai and one Scandinavian.
“For instance you and me on one team, and Mattias Nordin and the Thai luk tung singer Jonas on the other team. Pete and the Thai local National Champion would then be on the other team”.
Peter gets the idea, but sees a problem.
“It sounds like a great idea, but it might be difficult to get us all on the same day. But yes for sure if you can arrange that then contact me and I am in”.
Today, there is hardly the Thai TV personality he has not been on stage with or joined in a studio together, so the prospect of doing “something Danish” is visibly an apealing idea to him.
When asked if he felt he was mostly Danish or mostly Thai, Peter replied:
“I grew up in Denmark. I certainly still feel very Danish, although my carreer, is here in my second home country. I keep in touch with a lot of my friends from back home – I have just been invited to join all my old class mates from school and if at all possible I plan to go back home and visit them.”
If any Scandinavian company wants to contact him, either to do some advertising, or even book him for an event, this is how he woiuld advise them to go about it:
“I think the best thing to do is to contact Khun Tui, or simply come here to Jam Jam and ask for me. If they dont know when I will be back, they can contact Khun Tui and try to arrange a meeting”.

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https://bangkok.swea.org/events/fotoutstallning-med-lunch-pa-river-city/
February 26, 2019
Come and watch the exciting photo exhibition from Chinatown. It is British photographer Yvan Cohen who, with his exciting photos, shows Chinatown from his perspective.

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Event Details

Come and watch the exciting photo exhibition from Chinatown. It is British photographer Yvan Cohen who, with his exciting photos, shows Chinatown from his perspective.
Afterwards we eat lunch together at Viva Aviv .

We meet at the BTS station Asok at 10.00 (the entrance) for joint departure with BTS to Taksinstation (exit 1.2 to Sathorn Pier) and then free shuttleboat to River City.
Deadline for application is 22/2 to sweaprogrambangkok@gmail.com

Event Details

RSVP by Feb 11th and any questions to akh@herluftsholm.dk
Owing to lack of parking facilities at Middle Gap Road, please park at the public car park at Coombe Road, from where a shuttle service will operate to No. 15 Middle Gap Road.